Area's top young theater talent put on show in 'Pippin'

Saturday

Jan 26, 2013 at 10:29 PMJan 26, 2013 at 10:48 PM

By Arlene BachanovDaily Telegram Special Writer

ADRIAN — When "Pippin" opened on Broadway in 1972, it was regarded as a pretty innovative, if rather disturbing, piece of musical theater, largely due to the vision of it that director Bob Fosse brought to the production. And while in the 40 years since, the show has evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into something harmless enough for high school students to perform, as is the case this weekend at the Croswell Opera House, it's still quite unlike just about anything else in musical theater.

For one thing, while the play-within-a-play concept is certainly nothing out of the ordinary, in this case it leads to a show without any semblance of a traditional structure. The action just kind of arises spontaneously, the lines between what's the internal play and what is "reality," so to speak, are very deliberately blurred, the costumes are, on purpose, all over the place when it comes to era. "Pippin" is supposed to be disorienting, sometimes abruptly so, and the Croswell's production captures the show's unsettled, and unsettling, nature very well.

And unlike most musicals out there — certainly unlike practically anything that had come before it — there's no neat, happy ending (although I'm not going to give anything away here for people who don't know the show) and the "hero" really isn't all that. The character isn't even exactly all that likeable; he's really kind of whiny and angst-ridden.

But even with all that and saddled with a score made up of basically forgettable tunes, the themes of the show are as relevant today as they ever have been, from the whole "coming of age" idea to the extended riff on the absurdity of war. And they're certainly relevant to the young people performing it in the Croswell's version, which is the fourth annual edition of an all-area high school musical.

After all, "Pippin" is all about a journey of discovery, with all sorts of themes in it about faith and relationships and family and finding one's own way in the world and the desire to go out and do great things, and that's a journey these high schoolers are taking themselves. As are, probably, any number of people in the audience, for whom "Pippin" is liable to be pretty thought-provoking about all those concepts as well as the whole idea of what's real and what's not in our lives.

One of the things the Croswell's production definitely has going for it is that it's directed by Erin Yuen, and as such it just has a solid, polished feel to it. Of course the whole conceit of "Pippin," the play-within-a-play, leads to a certain atmosphere of "Hey kids, let's put on a show!" and the result is a deliberately unfinished look in which the swords are fake, the banners look hand-drawn, and crates and carts become all sorts of props requiring the audience to use its imagination. But the show unfolds impeccably timing-wise, the actors are doing interesting and creative things, and every inch of the stage (as well as parts of the house) are used excellently.

And no matter your feelings about "Pippin" itself, the quality of this cast makes this production what it is. Lenawee County and the surrounding area consistently turn out some spectacular young theatrical talent, and the Croswell's high school productions are a chance for those students to show off what they can do. From the leads to the chorus (or "players," in "Pippin"-speak), this is a very fine cast and a delight to watch, especially in a show like this that stretches them more than some musicals would.

A top-notch performance comes from Derek Kastner as the demonic, vaguely disturbing Leading Player. You're never exactly sure what Leading Player is up to — one moment he's simply introducing the characters and entertaining the audience with magic and song-and-dance, and the next moment he's manipulating the action and berating the actors for not following the script. But one thing that IS sure is that the actor playing this role has to be able to command the stage, and Kastner definitely does.

Another excellent performance comes from Kyle Krichbaum as the title character. With his fine singing voice, deft acting and sense of timing, and solid stage presence, this is a great role for him, and he captures it perfectly.

Similarly terrific work is done by Bryan Gilbey as Charlemagne, Candace Lee Ostrander as the scheming Fastrada, Becca Nowak as Berthe and Jordyn Norkey as Catherine. All of these actors bring great vocal abilities into play and turn in compelling performances besides. Kyle Sell does a very fine job in the role of Pippin's basically dimwitted younger brother Lewis, as does David Bough, who doesn't get a whole lot of stage time as Theo but makes a lot out of it.

The Croswell's production also benefits tremendously from a Doug Miller set design that's every bit as intricately thought out and well executed as Miller's work always is, from Emily Gifford's veritable riot of costume designs, from Sarah Nowak's interesting and creative choreography, and from the good work of music director Michael Yuen and his orchestra.

Saturday's matinee performance came off with only a couple of hitches. The "sing along" sequence just didn't work, both because the timing of the projection was off and because even if it had gone smoothly it's tough to see the projection itself due to the way it's lit. And Norkey's entire first scene was marred by not having her microphone on. But other than those small issues, things came off pretty smoothly.

It seems to me that "Pippin" is one of those shows that you either like or you don't. This is a story that exists on multiple levels all at the same time, and either you're fascinated by its implications, or you find the whole thing way too strange. But if you're willing to go along for the ride, the Croswell's production is a very worthy realization of the musical. And if you want to see some of this area's best budding theatrical talent, this is definitely the place to do it.

There is one more performance of "Pippin," at 2:30 p.m. today. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and students, and $5 for children, and are available at the box office.